FINAL in OT: Harris 3s sink Sooners

Eron Harris (10) celebrates with Gary Browne after West Virginia’s 91-86 overtime upset of No. 21 Oklahoma.

 

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — As West Virginia sought to continue its winning ways, the late-arriving Oklahoma Sooners stood in the way.

After leaving Norman on Tuesday, the No. 21 Sooners made a couple unplanned stops before spending the night in Newark, and they arrived in Morgantown only a few hours before tipoff.

They wound up staying longer than expected, too. West Virginia got a 3 at the end of regulation from Eron Harris and beat OU 91-86 in overtime.

Check below for a recap of the in-game updates:

WEST VIRGINIA 16, OKLAHOMA 15 (12:06 first half)
The fouls are piling up early for the Mountaineers, as Eron Harris, Kevin Noreen and Nathan Adrian have two each. Obviously, Harris is the integral part of that trio, and his fouls just came within 18 seconds of one another. So far has WVU has committed seven fouls to WVU’s five.
WEST VIRGINIA 16, OKLAHOMA 15 (11:48 first half)
The Mountaineers are living up to their perimeter-first reputation, going 2-of-10 from 3-point range, which puts them on pace for about 43 attempts. (Conversely, Oklahoma is 0-of-1 from deep.) … Ryan Spangler has six points and three rebounds in less than eight minutes of action, so he’s steamrolling toward his double-double average.
WEST VIRGINIA 24, OKLAHOMA 17 (7:41 first half)
An 8-0 run comprised of two Staten drives and two inside baskets by Devin Williams has given WVU an early cushion. However, Williams just became the fourth Mountaineer with two fouls, and Oklahoma will shoot the double-bonus for the remainder of the half.
WEST VIRGINIA 37, OKLAHOMA 25 (3:50 first half)
With 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting from 3-point range, Terry Henderson looks to be headed for a huge night. Staten, who’s ienjoying a series huge nights, has nine points, five rebounds and four assists. … The Sooners also have four players with two fouls as the freedom-of-movement police are in full patrol mode. Spangler has been on the bench for eight minutes after earning his second foul.
WEST VIRGINIA 43, OKLAHOMA 32 (halftime)
The Sooners miss three shots from point-blank range before the halftime buzzer and head to the locker room shooting only 35 percent. Their seven turnovers aren’t an overwhelming number, until you consider that WVU has only two. … Moments before the half, Staten scored his 13th point on an up-and-under layup in heavy traffic. Henderson also closed the half with 13 for WVU, which is playing with such confidence and swagger that a certain media member sitting beside me just began discussing NCAA at-large scenarios. That’s farfetched at this point, but a conversation that wouldn’t have been broached last week.
WEST VIRGINIA 51, OKLAHOMA 41 (15:29 second half)
The Mountaineers go three straight possessions without the ball EVER penetrating the 3-point line. Harris makes a deep 3-pointer, then forces one that was ugly, then makes another from the top of the key. That’s a net of six points and an average of two per possession. … Harris has eight in the first four minutes of the second half and 10 overall.
WEST VIRGINIA 57, OKLAHOMA 51 (11:51 second half)
Buddy Hield has 10 of his 13 points in the second half as Oklahoma has stemmed the blowout wave for the time being. Apparently, this team doesn’t score 83 points per game by accident. The overall shooting has evened up at 40 percent for both teams.
WEST VIRGINIA 67, OKLAHOMA 62 (7:54 second half)
That Mountaineers’ 14-point cushion was sliced to three at one juncture when Harris buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key. He’s making some big-time shots in this half, with 13 of his 15 points. … After a cleanly played first half, West Virginia has committed six second-half turnovers in 12 minutes.
WEST VIRGINIA 77, OKLAHOMA 74 (2:44 second half)
The Mountaineers are in what would normally be considered crisis time for them—a one-possession game in clutch stages. But the norm has changed during the past week. We’ll see how WVU handles things with its newfound pluck. … By the way, Remi Dibo picked up fouls No. 4 and No. 5 within 14 seconds and left with 4:50 to play.
WEST VIRGINIA 81, OKLAHOMA 81 (end regulation)
Harris’ 20-point second half turned monumental when he buried the game-tying 3-pointer with 21 seconds left. When Oklahoma can’t hit the last shot—a force from the right wing—the Coliseum has officially been, uh, rejuvenated. Especially the folks now walking back IN through the exits. OT awaits.
WEST VIRGINIA 87, OKLAHOMA 86 (1:31 in overtime)
Harris continues his hot shooting with two 3-pointers in the extra period—one a fall-away that left him sliding on his rear end near the center circle. He’s got 28 points after scoring only two in the first half. Unbelievable game for the sophomore.
WEST VIRGINIA 89, OKLAHOMA 86 (0:36 in overtime)
With Oklahoma’s sagging defense essentially taking away Staten’s driving lanes, the point guard pulls up for a 15-footer. (He’s got 19 points, though on 6-of-18 shooting). … On the other end, Oklahoma’s Tyler Neal misses back-to-back 3-point tries. After a scramble, Devin Williams rebounds for WVU and calls timeout.
WEST VIRGINIA 91, OKLAHOMA 86 (final)
Staten steals Oklahoma’s final chance and the Mountaineers own an impressive three-game conference winning streak. Harris scored 28 and Staten produced 20 points and 10 rebounds for WVU, while Jordan Woodard led the Sooners with 23. … WVU won the rebounding edge 46-44 and got revenge on the team it lost to three times a year ago.








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